Carlos Gomez Trade Involving Mets Falls Apart Due to Medical Concerns
The Milwaukee Brewers did not trade center fielder Carlos Gomez to the the New York Mets on Wednesday, despite previous reports the deal was complete.
After the Mets' 7-3 loss to the San Diego Padres, general manager Sandy Alderson denied a trade had taken place, per Adam Rubin of ESPN New York: "There is no trade, and unfortunately social media etc. got ahead of the facts and may have had adverse effect on one of the players rumored to be involved."
MLB Network's Joel Sherman was the first to report a deal was in place. Andy Martino of the New York Daily News added the details of the supposed trade, noting that Milwaukee would receive shortstop Wilmer Flores and pitcher Zack Wheeler in return.
MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reported the trade was done pending medical evaluations prior to falling apart. He also reiterated the Gomez trade will not happen in the future. Brewers GM Doug Melvin confirmed the deal was done contingent on medicals, which ended up preventing the trade from happening, via Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Haudricourt also said Wheeler's medical evaluation was the one that caused the deal to fall apart. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports speculated the Brewers were uncomfortable with Wheeler's medical, as he is coming off Tommy John surgery.
Wheeler may not be the only player involved in the trade whose medical concerns got in the way of it transpiring, though, as Rosenthal reported the Mets backed out due to Gomez's hip issues. Agent Scott Boras refuted these claims, via Sherman:
"Carlos Gomez is fine and playing every day We do a rigorous job of seeing if 2d opinions are needed and Carlos has gone for none.
There is nothing at issue with Carlos Gomez's health. He is playing every day. That is the proof of his health. He is fine.
"
Melvin reiterated Boras' claims on Thursday, saying "Carlos Gomez, in my mind, is healthy. There’s no issue. We don’t feel there’s anything wrong with his hip," per Rosenthal.
Flores was likely the player Alderson was referring to as suffering "adverse effects" from the premature trade reports. The shortstop was seen visibly crying during the game, per MLB:
It was a trade that seemed done. Brewers catcher Martin Maldonado shared a picture on Twitter of Gomez and multiple members of the team wishing their teammate well, but he then deleted it and re-uploaded the photo with a different caption:
"Gomez still a Brewers nice, good friend and teammate @C_Gomez27 @88_gparra @WilyPeralta38 #GoGo4life pic.twitter.com/GZFU3sQEB4
— Martin Maldonado (@Machete1224) July 30, 2015"
So it now appears Gomez isn't going anywhere.
Gomez was an All-Star the past two seasons for Milwaukee and won a Gold Glove in 2013, but he hasn't played quite to the same level in 2015, partly due to injury. He suffered a hamstring injury in April, and that may have contributed to the groin and hip issues he's dealt with more recently. ESPN Stats & Info provided a breakdown of how Gomez's WAR has declined over the past few years:
"Multiple reports indicate Mets have traded Zack Wheeler/Wilmer Flores for Carlos Gomez Gomez WAR by Season 2013 8.5 2014 4.8 2015 1.5
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 30, 2015"
It has to be hard to maintain positive morale with how badly the Brewers have struggled, though.
Gomez is so highly coveted on the trade market in part because his contract runs through next season, when he's owed a manageable $9 million salary, per Spotrac.
He also hits with power, and his usual swift speed translates well to covering plenty of ground on defense and putting pressure on opponents when he's on base.
The Mets entered Wednesday's play last in baseball in runs scored. Although Gomez is having a bit of a down year with a .266 batting average, he might have been galvanized by returning to the team with which he started his MLB career in 2007, appearing in 58 games.
Now Mets fans may be left wondering what could have been.
